Edinburgh City Council has identified two potential locations for Scotland's second supervised drug consumption facility. The Integration Joint Board revealed the facility could open on the Cowgate or Spittal Street, both in the city's Old Town.
A public consultation will run early next year to gather local community views on the proposals. The facility would be located in the same building as, or very near to, a homeless day centre or drug addiction treatment service.
Glasgow's pioneering facility
The proposed Edinburgh facility would follow Glasgow's Thistle Centre, which opened in January after a decade-long political struggle. The Glasgow facility faced significant hurdles until Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC ruled it would not be in the public interest to prosecute service users under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The Thistle Centre has recorded significant usage since opening, with 5,299 visits by 377 people up to July 25, according to Sky News. The service has dealt with 48 medical emergencies, some of which drugs minister Maree Todd said would have resulted in death without supervision.
Local health crisis data
Edinburgh's proposed sites reflect the severity of the local drug crisis. There have been 36 drug-related deaths within a 15-minute walk of Spittal Street and 34 near the Cowgate in the past three years.
Only Edinburgh Live reports the facility would feature seven injection booths and operate 8-12 hours daily, seven days a week. The same source reveals Leith was previously considered but rejected after data analysis showed more drug-related health issues in the city centre.
Next steps and approval
The consultation will inform a business case to be submitted to the Scottish Government for final approval. IJB chief officer Christine Laverty warned: "Such a public consultation will attract substantial attention and raise both hopes and fears within different communities."
Project costs cannot be estimated until a final site is confirmed. The facility represents Edinburgh's response to addressing drug-related deaths through supervised medical intervention.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Sky News", "Edinburgh Live" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
